Bhopal: Heavy rains and floods have so far claimed 31 lives in Madhya Pradesh prompting the state government to allocate Rs 12.47 crore additional funds for flood-affected 23 districts.

Eight persons lost their lives in Hoshangabad district, followed by Bhopal where six people were killed due to rains and floods, an official release said on Friday.

Three deaths each were reported from Ujjain and Dewas districts, two each in Damoh, Betul and Chhindwara, while one person each was killed in Sehore, Dhar, Seoni, Ratlam and Khandwa.

Besides human loss, 319 cattle heads were killed, mostly in Sehore, Hoshangabad and Chhindwara due to floods and rains which also damaged 14,056 houses and 971 shanties in the state, the release said.

A total of 675.9 millimeter rains have been registered in the state till yesterday, 66 mm more than the average state rainfall. Till now, 18 districts have registered above normal rains, 28 normal and four districts have witnessed below normal rains. No district registered scanty rainfall.

The state government was also making available additional relief as per demands of the districts affected by excessive rains and floods, the release said.

So far, additional relief funds worth Rs 12.47 crore have been made available to 23 districts that bore the burnt of the rain fury. Before the onset of monsoon, Rs five crore was provided to the districts.